Lucario & Riolu: The Legend of Sinnoh (OLD)
by Numbuh 94
Summary: Part one of a trilogy. A male Lucario has a rather dark past and is left with a Riolu he must take care of... on top of Team Galactic causing trouble. Rated T just to be safe. OLD; Made about a year and a half ago.
1. Quiet Days

"Come on, this way!" Delilah exclaimed, dashing past him. Riolu scoffed at her as she tripped over her own tail. She got back to her feet. He smirked at her. "Nice fall-over. You're still a Riolu; you don't know ExtremeSpeed yet!" He teased her.

She struck out a paw at him. "Oh, please, you're still one too, so I don't want to hear it." He bounced away from her, still laughing.

Suddenly, the ground shook out from under them. His vision faded out to pitch black, and then he was standing, a full-grown Lucario next to Delilah, also a Lucario. They were in a huge, grassy clearing with trees surrounding them on ever side. A few bushes dotted the ground here and there.

She smiled at him. Beaming, she exclaimed, "Yes! We're finally Lucario! That was the best practice battle ever!"

He beamed back at her. "It sure was!" The grass around them showed the signs from their vicious "practice" battle. The grass was etched with scratches from where Delilah had tried to use Metal Claw on him, and some of it had been blown clear off from the force of his Force Palms. One of their Aura Spheres had left a hole that looked like it was from a meteorite in it.

The bushes a few feet behind Delilah rattled and an Arcanine wandered out. He was large and older-looking, and was Delilah's mate. Torn between jealousy and distrust of him, Lucario gritted his teeth and flicked his tail a few times. "What do you want, Arcanine?" He growled.

Delilah shot him a dirty look. "Don't mind him, Arcanine, he's just jealous," she growled. She sat down next to him and brushed her tail along his flank. "We just had a practice battle, and look, I'm a Lucario now!"

He nodded. "I know, I was watching from the bushes," he said, grinning. He then glowered back at Lucario. "Someone has been having a bad day, huh, Lucario?"

"It was just fine until you showed up," he spat. He turned and stalked off. His vision faded to black again and he was standing in the forest, rain pouring down from the sky, plastering his fur to his body.

He began running. He had to find his shelter. If he didn't, he'd freeze to death. He arrived at a small clearing and tripped over something soft and soggy.

Turning around, he let out a shrill wail or horror and fell back again. Delilah lay at his feet, burns all over her body. Her eyes stared blankly at nothing… She was dead. Two men in white and black uniforms with a G on them were standing next to her, Arcanine next to them. Arcanine grinned at him darkly. "You were right, Lucario; you were right." He laughed maliciously.

"Darn," one of the men said. "Arcanine, I knew I shouldn't have used you, you're too high of level, you killed it. Ah well, better luck next time."

"Wait—look!" One of them said, pointing at him and also at an Egg wrapped in Delilah's arms. Lucario's fury took hold. He jumped to his feet and glared placidly at Arcanine. "TRAITOR!" He roared. "Go away—NOW—or I'll kill you!" He snarled.

Arcanine laughed at him. "Crazy, you are. I already killed Delilah—I'll do the same to you! Team Galactic won't fail!" Lucario blinked. "You can be Team Stupid for all I care, but I'll make sure you pay!" He carefully read the two men's aura: it was dark and aggressive, with nothing but the need for power fueling it… He would never forget that aura. Anyone with it would always be a villain in his books.

Lucario snarled and opened his mouth wide, as big as he could. Electrical, violet waves pulsed from his mouth. They violently collided with Arcanine and his two trainers. He shut his jaws, breathing heavily. He glared at Arcanine and his trainers as they got to their feet when the Dragon Pulse died away.

"Fool!" Arcanine shouted, stumbling still. He bolted at him. Lucario pulled back his arms and a blue orb with a silvery white outline began to form. Arcanine opened his jaws and strange-shaped fire-type attack began readying in his mouth.

Lucario let loose his Aura Sphere. Arcanine let his attack die in his mouth and began trying to dodge the attack. Guiding it carefully with his aura, he made sure that Arcanine did not escape it. It smashed into him, evaporating at once. Arcanine couldn't get up after that attack.

He turned to the Team Galactic members. He used ExtremeSpeed and bolted up to them in an instant. Taken aback, they stumbled backwards in surprise. He put his right claw up to one's neck.

"GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!" He boomed in its head. Both nodded vigorously.

"Arcanine, return!" One of them called. They then bolted for it.

Lucario turned to Delilah's body and kneeled beside her. "I tried to tell you," he sobbed. "I tried! I tried to tell you he was nothing but trouble! You didn't listen!" He banged his fists on the ground hard. The rain seemed to penetrate down to his soul now rather than just his skin and he felt unnaturally shocked. What concluded the deathly look of her on the ground was the fact that he could not sense her aura anywhere.

The egg next to her shook. He looked at it. He wiped the water from his face and saw that it was blue and white… It was a Riolu egg. He picked it up and held it close to him… it was warm and light. Delilah's offspring would hatch from it any day… and Arcanine had stopped her from raising it!

He held it even closer, curling up next to Delilah's lifeless figure. He didn't care if he got hypothermia in the night; he could get rid of it by asking his friend Numel to cure it… He just wanted to save this egg… and the Riolu in it… He wouldn't name it, it would be Riolu, like he was, so he didn't have to remember Delilah…

"Papa! Papa, wake up!"

Lucario jerked awake. Riolu was looking at him with concern in her pale scarlet eyes. She was bent over him, her arms on his chest as she shook him again. "Are you okay? You were jerking around in your sleep… and who's Delilah?"

He was alarmed by her question. He hadn't told her, and didn't plan on telling her anytime soon. "An old friend." He said simply. She frowned and tipped her head.

"Where is she now? It didn't look like a good dream…" She stared above into the pale blue sky quizzically.

"Never mind," he dismissed her question quickly. He blinked hard. He would not cry in front of her. He could not cry in front of her.

She seemed unfazed. "I'm hungry!" She whined playfully, getting up and pushing him on the shoulder. "Find me some food, Papa! I really like those Rawst Berries," she added, smiling up at him. She turned around and went into an offensive position.

Her arms were raised and her ears laid flat back. Her right foot was forward, her left one back, and her tail was erect. "Look, I can do a Force Palm now! I was training when I got up because you were still asleep."

She pressed her right front paw to the ground, and closed her eyes. It was obviously taking her a lot of effort. A white light appeared below her hand, and then it seemed to burst. She was tossed backwards, landing on her back.

He darted over to her. "You okay?" He asked anxiously, helping her back up.

"I'm fine, but I don't think the grass can say the same!" She exclaimed, gloating. She pointed at the place where she had used the attack, giggling. The grass had all been blown away from the spot, leaving a loose-looking spot on the earth.

He sighed, relieved, and nodded, chuckling a little as well. "Grass doesn't stand a chance against you! What a tough Pokémon!" He said jokingly.

"Oh, shut up, Papa!" She said, pushing him. "Now go find me some food!"

He nodded. "Right, but you stay here, and no silly stunts while I'm gone," he had just relived enough horror for one day in his dream.

She groaned and stared at him. She put her hands on her hips and pretended to stand a little taller, and spoke in a mockingly deep voice. "Don't talk to any Pokémon you don't know, don't leave the camp, and don't do anything dangerous. I know, I know, I know, now go find me some Rawst Berries!" She laughed, her voice returning to normal as she began saying the "I know, I know, I know."

He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He stared at her a moment longer than he normally would have before he turned and walked away. He resisted calling her to come with him; she was beginning to become very independent, and wasn't keen on having him at her side every second of the day.

He looked around. These bushes were packed full of Oran, Sitrus, Cherri, and Chesto Berries. He looked a little closer next to a Chesto Berry bush. "Bulls-eye," he smiled, pulling off the small blue berry with large green leaves on its top. Rawst Berries always seemed to grow close to Chesto Berries, often hidden at their bottom. I'll have to teach Riolu that, he made a mental note. Arceus knows she's getting more independent everyday…

He thought of how pathetic her Force Palm had been… She had been knocked back rather than leaving a hole in the ground. That was alarming, considering other Pokémon around these parts trained until they were pretty tough fighters. She wouldn't last a day…

After he had gathered enough berries, he returned to him and Riolu's camp. He breathed a sigh of relief at her still sitting there. She was close to her bed, drawing in the sand Lucario had gathered to put around the fire they used to warm up at night. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a Riolu and Lucario smiling at each other.

"It's you and me," she explained, grinning. He smiled back.

"Nice drawing."

He dropped a few of the berries close to her, saving two for himself. He sat down next to her and bit into one. He was used to the bitter taste, as he had used it to cure burns from wild Pokémon before, but still found it unbecoming. But Riolu loved them, so he said nothing of it.

She happily bit into it, clearly enjoying the bitter taste. After she was done with her four berries, she jumped up, leaving the leaves and the cores from the berries behind her. "Come on, let's do a practice battle!"

He was highly opposed to the idea, mostly because he was ages away from her level of expertise (which, in his head, could easily be rounded down to about five) and he didn't feel much like battling. Delilah had been his best friend, and Arcanine had been what put the strain on their friendship… And Riolu was her daughter. His living memory of her.

He wasn't her father, but he didn't know how to explain that a murderous Arcanine was, and that her mother was dead. He also didn't have the heart. He had never told anyone else, and wasn't about to tell her. She's not ready…

"Papa, please?" She asked, flitting her eyelashes. "Pleeeeeeaaaaase?"

"Oh, alright," he muttered, giving a huge, exaggerated sigh. "But I know you'll beat me!" He tugged her toward him and trapped her with one of his arms, giving her a noogie by rubbing the top of her head fast and hard. She was giggling the whole time, weakly pushing against his arms, gasping "Stop!" between fits of laughter.

He let her go and jumped backwards. He calculated her position carefully. It was the same as before: her legs parted and tail erect, ears flat, eyes focused on him. Her right arms was pulled forward in a fist, her left pulled back and also balled into a fist.

She seemed to copy him, critically analyzing his stance. His was a copy of hers, except that he kept his arms and fists close to himself, and kept his ears erect. "Don't flatten your ears," he tipped her, "it makes it harder for you to hear small movements!"

She immediately flicked them forward, holding them out erect. "Like this?"

He beamed warmly at her. "Yes, exactly like that."

She smirked and then dashed toward him, placing a palm on his chest. Lucario shook his head and kicked her feet out from under her, dodging her attack with ease. She turned her head towards him after the failed attack, and glared at him. "No fair! I'm not as fast as you are!" She whined.

"Then use a different strategy," he suggested gently. "Instead of head-on physical attacks, try to use ones that don't require you to be right next to me."

She scoffed. "I can't use Aura Sphere, and you know it!" She whined again.

"Well, learn," he said.

"It's not that easy!" She exclaimed.

She sounds just like Delilah when we were trying to learn Aura Sphere as Riolu. "We're too young and you know we won't be able to use Aura Sphere as Riolu because we'll be Lucario before then!" He gave a watery smile, and blinked hard again.

He hadn't realized that Riolu had come at him again. This time, she kicked her feet against him quickly and rapidly, in mid-air. The Double-Kick attack caught him completely off-guard. He was knocked back and fell on his tail. Riolu landed, surprisingly, on her feet.

"Haha! Caught you!" She crowed. "Finally! You're really tough! Can you show me Dragon Pulse? Pleeeeeaaaase?"

Her 'Pleeeeeeaaaaase' always got him. "Oh, alright," he pretended to grumble. He pulled his head back, and gaped widely. Purple shockwaves rose in his mouth, and then jolted outward in a long, thick beam of violet electricity. The shockwave blasted a tree, leaving a huge dent in it and scarring on the ground it had sailed over.

"Wow!" Riolu breathed, wide-eyed. "Amazing! And super powerful!"

"Yeah, I learned that before you even hatched," he said, nuzzling her as he went toward her. The sky was growing dark again. "Wow, how long was I asleep?"

"Very long time!" Riolu exclaimed. "I thought you'd never wake up! Then again, you were having that nasty nightmare… Anyway, tell me a story!" She jumped up and down and clapped her paws together, their practice match abandoned and forgotten.

"Alright," he nodded, sitting next to her. "Well…"


	2. The Past Comes to Haunt

"Well… Once, there was a Lucario and his master, Sir Aaron. Sir Aaron considered Lucario a friend, but Lucario thought of Sir Aaron as more like a master, and he his servant. As time went on, Sir Aaron taught Lucario how to use aura, and could use it himself," Papa began. He held her close to him, on his knee. She stared at him, bright-eyed in excitement.

_This should be so cool! Just like the time he told me about Jirachi or Darkrai, or maybe even when he told me about Mewtwo and Mew, or Latias and Latios! Wait, that one was kind of sad…_ She loved his stories. They were always so fun!

She had heard of the Wish-Maker Jirachi, the Darkrai that stopped the fighting between Dialga and Palkia, and how Mewtwo was created, and how Mew had to stop him. She wondered just where he was going with this one…

"Well, one day, two Pokémon armies began marching towards each other. One, blue suits. The other, red suits. They were in war. Three Houndoom attacked Lucario one day as he was trying to return to Sir Aaron's side, and he was temporarily blinded, so he used his aura to figure out what he was doing," Riolu squirmed, staring at him interestedly. Papa broke off for a second and laid down, picking her up and placing her down next to him and holding her close.

He normally did this before they went to sleep, and he would always put his left arm around her before they went to sleep. He had done it since she could remember; she didn't know why, but didn't care. She liked it. It definitely made her feel safer at night.

"He fought off the Houndoom using Aura Sphere, and then ran to find Sir Aaron. He found him at the castle, and Sir Aaron then asked him what had happened to his eyes. Lucario explained, and then, Sir Aaron explained he was going to the Tree of Life to stop the war. Lucario tried to come, but instead, Sir Aaron trapped him in his staff…" Papa's voice began to fade in and out of tune as she began to flicker in and out of sleep.

"And then Sir Aaron went to the Tree of Life… where he… aura…" His voice faded out completely, and she fell into a deep sleep.

It was still dark when she was awoken next. Something had brushed her nose. She sneezed and looked around groggily. "Hello?" She called out sleepily. Papa's arm was wrapped tightly around her, and he was curled around her. His chest rose and fell as he slept, a quiet rumbling coming from his throat.

Suddenly, a small, white, round light darted in front of her. It shone brightly on the dimly lit grass, rippling with it in the wind. She pulled herself away from Papa, and leapt on it. But it only shone on top of her paws then!

_Stubborn little thing, isn't it?_ She thought, laughing as she tried to bat at it again. It jerked forward and sat on a patch of dirt ahead of her. She gave another bounce, and landed on it again. But this time, the light vanished! Where'd it go?

"Hey!" Something coiled itself around her neck. She immediately began to yank backwards, kicking and thrusting punches at nothing. But she was stuck. The noose had her tied to a branch above her. "Help!" She yelped, pulling away even harder.

She lost her ability to breathe, and realized that her pulling was disabling her from breathing. She backed up and gulped down air. "Help!" She cried again.

Papa bolted to his feet, and looked around wildly. He saw her and ran over so fast all she saw was a blur of blue and black. He pulled back his fist, and then swung it at the nearly invisible line that kept her tied to the tree. It released her and she fell to the ground, gasping.

"Oh, Papa, it was horrible!" She whimpered, clinging to his leg and refusing to let go. He bent down and put both of his front paws on her, and looked around, some emotion flaring in his eyes that she didn't recognize. "Papa…?"

"What?" He snapped at her. She flinched and curled her tail beneath her. His gaze softened and he picked her up, holding her on his shoulder. "Shh… it's okay, I'm sorry… But what made you get up?"

"I—I saw a little white light, and I went to follow it, and it stopped right there," she flicked her tail towards the spot that she had been noosed at, "and that thing fell over my head and squeezed my throat!" She sobbed.

He held her closer.

"Hmph. Always were a softy, weren't you, Lucario?"

She didn't recognize that voice. Papa defensively pointed the shoulder he had her on facing the other way the voice had come from. "What do you want, Arcanine?" He snarled. "I don't have anything to say to you, except go away!"

"Not this time, old _friend_," he put a strange emphasis on the word. "And that's my daughter you're holding."

"NO SHE'S NOT!" Papa bellowed. He set her down and she tentatively looked out from behind his leg to see a huge orange and peach colored Pokémon with a big, billowing mane and dark stripes against a pale orange coat. She had seen Growlithe before, but never an Arcanine. Papa looked absolutely incensed. "She's mine, and if you don't get lost, I—"

"You'll what?" It sneered. "Blast me away with a Dragon Pulse? Do it! I dare you! I'll kill you just like her mother, and then I'll happily take her with me!" The Arcanine hungrily looked at her, licking his lips. "Hasn't he told you yet?"

"SHUT UP!" Papa snarled. He protectively shielded her with his body before pulling back his arms and creating a blue and white orb of light that grew larger than she had ever seen before. He let it loose, and he was carefully guiding it. But she guessed his anger was making his movements jerky and stiff; it struck the Arcanine on the left thigh awkwardly.

She wondered what the Arcanine meant; she wasn't his daughter! How? _I'm a Riolu, not a Growlithe!_ "Papa, what's he talking about?"

He glanced at her, looking extremely frightened and horrorstruck. "N-nothing! Nothing at all!" He turned and pulled back his lips in an ugly snarl.

The dust cleared, and the Arcanine still stood. Not a scratch was on him!

"I've trained a lot since our last match, _Lucario_," he sneered again, putting the same strange emphasis on 'Lucario.'

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" A man in a strange white and black uniform with a _G_ on it jumped from the tree limb above. "I want that Lucario!"

Riolu was taken aback. _I thought he wanted me?_ She thought, blinking confusedly.

Papa was now the one sneering. "Thought you wanted the Riolu? Too bad your master says otherwise! If you're taking either of us, it's me,_pal!_"

Arcanine opened its jaws, and flames poured out into the air in front of him. The dark night air was illuminated in a reddish orange light. Riolu froze and stared at the fire coming her way in horror.

Papa dived over her, completely covering her against the blaze. But as soon as it struck him, he gave a short wail of pain, and nearly crumpled and fell on top of her. "What's wrong?" She cried, tucking her tail between her legs and flattening her ears to her head.

When the Flamethrower ended, he looked at her with half-open eyes. "Fire… super-effective… on… Steel…"

"Oh, no! You're a Steel and Fighting type!" She exclaimed in a watery voice.

"Precisely," the Arcanine grinned evilly. "And by the looks of it, you've been burned!"

Papa had a dark maroon area on his back, which painfully convulsed every few seconds. Papa staggered to his feet and pulled his fists close to him, taking battle stance even though he was quivering from the burn. "That all…all you got?" He demanded, growling.

Arcanine boomed in laughter. "Bluff all you like, Lucario, but you're obviously in no position to fight!"

"An Ultra Ball should end this," the strange man smirked. He pulled a blackish-bluish ball from off of his belt, and reared back his arm, preparing to, what looked like, throw it._ What's he gonna throw that ball for…?_

Papa turned to her. "Go, now. GO!" He barked. His eyes were streaming with tears, and the Arcanine was stalking toward him. What really unnerved her was how Papa was crying… That was the most frightening of it all…

"What…? N-n-no!" She stuttered madly. "I can't!" She crumpled to the ground. She was so confused! What could she do? Run…? Leave him?_But I don't know how to live on my own, besides, he's my father! I don't want to leave him!_

"Now, please," he pleaded, turning around real fast and giving a swipe at the Arcanine who jumped backwards, snarling. He turned back to her. "You don't understand!"

"No, I don't!" She cried, now having tears welling in her own eyes. "So explain it to me!"

"I can't..."

"Enough!" Arcanine snarled. He jumped at Papa.

Papa turned to her and mouthed 'I'm sorry,' before placing his right paw on her chest. He closed his eyes and a white light began to shine from underneath his paws, and then the light exploded, throwing her far into the bushes. The Force Palm caught her by surprise, and it caused her to faint…

After landing in some bushes, she heard a roar of defeat, from Papa, and then blacked out…

***

"Is she awake?"

"Dunno. Hope she wakes up soon, poor scrap."

"Evil Pokémon, to throw her in the bushes like that and leave her."

_Huh?_ Riolu blinked her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light… Once used to it, she remembered what had just happened…

She and her father had just been in a fight, a dreadful one, in the middle of the night. Her own father had also used Force Palm on her and knocked her out, leaving her alone. She leapt to her feet and glared at the three Pokémon standing around her, including the Lucario she recognized instantly. The other two, she didn't know.

One was an orange color with what looked like a type of yellow scarf around its neck, and had a constantly moving, corkscrew-like tail. His eyes were aqua blue. The other was blue and black, with golden yellow eyes, and a black mane flowing around its neck. It had gold bracelets around all four of its paws.

The Lucario stepped forward. "I'm Lloya. I'm a Lucario, as I'm pretty sure you know. He—" he gestured to the strange orange Pokémon "—is a Floatzel, and his name is Lake. He's a Luxio, and his name's Sparx"—he pointed towards the blue and black Pokemon.

"Lucky we found you, huh?" Sparx, the Luxio, said, extending his tail which looked like it had a four-pointed star at the end. "You looked pretty beat up! Who did that to you anyway?"

She glared at him, gritting her teeth. "Why should I answer you?" She spat.

Sparx flinched at her words. "Ha-ha, well, um, sorry…" He backed away hastily, nearly tripping on his own tail.

Lake, the Floatzel, stepped forward and spoke gently to her. "Hey, we're only trying to help… I mean, do you know how to look out for yourself?"

"No," she growled through her teeth. "No. Some man came and took my Papa!" She wailed finally. She sank to her knees and stared at the ground, blinking strongly to try and stop a surge of tears.

Lloya, the Lucario, ducked in front of her. "What man? What did he look like?"

"How should I explain, they all look the same to me! Well, he had blue hair and this weird black and white outfit with a G on it!" She sobbed, giving way.

Lloya, Sparx, and Lake shared a meaningful glance. "What?" She asked them, wiping her face.

"Well, that sounds like a Team Galactic uniform. But that's impossible; Cynthia put them down before they even began a year ago…" Lloya tapped his chin, a thoughtful frown on his face. "No doubt they're trying to capture Palkia, Dialga, and Giritina again… You'd think those fools would know to leave the Creation Trio alone…"

"But what would they want with my father?" She shouted angrily, pulling back her fists, ready to strike.

"Well, Team Galactic likes to have one of every Pokémon species in Sinnoh so that anyone can use them when they want to," Sparx explained. "I would know, because they took my sister, a Luxray… But she escaped, and told me all about it."

"So, does she know where their base is? And, there are Pokémon that have escaped?" Riolu asked hopefully, her heart rising in her chest.

"She knows, but won't tell, and yeah. She doesn't want to recount it for some reason; all she told me was all the Pokémon there are sad Pokémon, and that all are abused regularly and bullied into doing work. Newbies are given not fully evolved Pokémon while seniors are given some of the best," Sparx responded.

"But—but—" She stammered. Lloya scooped her up and sat her on his shoulder.

He gave a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, we'll find your dad, just calm down and don't kill us while you're at it, 'kay?" He said jokingly as she balled up one of her fists even tighter.

"Wait, how?" Sparx asked, clearly confused. "Luna isn't going to tell us—"

"Yes she will, you're sister isn't cold-hearted," Lloya waved his hand as though it meant nothing to him.

"After going to that place, you'd be surprised," he muttered under his breath. Lloya clearly didn't hear, because he made no comeback. But Riolu had heard, and she shared his unenthusiastic thoughts.

I just hope he's okay… I've never seen him so hurt… She thought, shivering. But if we do have to go and find him… I'll have to get stronger!

"Train me!" She growled, leaping from Lloya's shoulder. "Now! One of you attack me!" They stopped abruptly and stared at her.

"Well then, sure!" Sparx smiled and stepped forward. He didn't do anything Papa did; no attack stance, not even a guard on his body…

"Now, let's go!" She bolted forward and jumped, kicking him rapidly and hard. Sparx gaped in surprise and was thrown backwards. She bounced back and landed on her feet. She spaced her legs and held her fists close to her chest, keeping her tail and ears erect.

Lloya and Lake let out loud, hardy laughs. "Nice move, Sparx! What was that called, Get-Your-Butt-Kicked-By-a-Level-5-Riolu?" Lloya asked him, humor shining in his eyes.

She found herself stifling laughter at his comment. Sparx jumped to his feet, shaking his head. His mane flowed outward, electricity flowing through it. "Oh, shut up!" He growled, clearly annoyed. But he turned to her and grinned. "Nice one. Double Kick, right?"

"Yep," she replied. "And I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve…"


	3. Luke and the Plan

Lucario glared out from his cage. His Poke Ball, an Ultra Ball, hung from a hook at the front of it. He resisted the urge to obliterate it into a million pieces with an Aura Sphere, knowing that would be no help.

"You know, this is really uncomfortable, I mean, where's the water in this thing? I'm called a water-type Pokémon for a reason, they could at least—" The Wooper next to him had been droning on since his arrival, and he'd had enough.

"SHUT UP!" He finally roared at it.

It blinked at him dumbly. "Sorry. What's wrong with you?"

"Your constant talking!" He exclaimed heatedly.

The Riolu on his other side merely looked at him. "Well, that isn't nice," he murmured quietly. "Wooper aren't that smart; you should know they don't understand insults."

He turned to this Riolu. It reminded him nothing of Riolu, his step-daughter… no, this Riolu sounded as though it had been through a war, and was still fighting off its effects on him.

"Team Galactic took me as an egg. I don't remember my parents, nor if I even had any. I was raised here. But these people aren't very nice to us… I guess that's just how people are. What's wrong with you? How did they capture you?" He asked Lucario, blinking slowly. An aura of calm emanated from the Riolu, even though it was easy to tell that he wasn't very happy.

"I was taken from my step-daughter…" he began. "They attacked me using an Arcanine they'd attacked and killed my step-daughter's mother with. What's the really terrible thing is that he's also her father… He tricked her when we were younger. Led her on for months. She got pregnant and apparently had her egg before Arcanine turned on her. He led his master to her, and she was…" He paused, painfully taking a breath and closing his eyes forcefully. "Dead. She had the egg lying next to her. I found her by accident because I was trying to run and get out of the rain."

"Thus, you defeated the Arcanine due to your rage and took the egg to raise as your own…" The Riolu finished the sentence for him. Lucario gave him a look of deepest curiosity. "The Team Galactic grunt, or grunts, ran and didn't return for another year, by which time you had already raised this Riolu to believe you were her father and that her mother had abandoned her as an egg."

"How can you tell all that?" He asked, gaping stupidly at him through the cage bars.

The Riolu smiled at him sadly. "I've been here for eight years; I've had plenty of practice with aura. I can read memories through aura."

"Why haven't you evolved yet?" He queried, tipping his head.

"Riolu require happiness in daytime to evolve, and I've never been very happy here at all. Whether it's being abandoned to rot in this cell, or being bullied and beaten to hurt innocent people and Pokémon, no, I've never been very happy," the Riolu explained, closing his eyes as he sat on the floor.

Lucario pondered whether he should continue his talk with the Riolu. But the Wooper on his right had continued talking nonstop. "And they could really buy better Pokefood, because this stuff stinks. I'm a Wooper, and I say it stinks! Really, and this cold, hard floor! They could at least put down a towel or something, and—STOP THAT, QUAGSIRE!"

The Quagsire on the Wooper's right had begun to shoot water from its mouth, causing the cages near it to flood. "What, I thought you wanted water?" It gave a stupid tilt of its head, obviously dumbfounded by the Wooper's reaction.

"Yes, but I don't want to drown in it!" It shouted.

"Sorry."

Lucario gave an exasperated sigh. Just then, a human walked through the doors at the end of the hall. The room where all these cages were in was dark and dingy, and had the air of abuse and abandonment in it. There was only one hallway that led through all the cages, each Pokémon placed in PokéDex order, as a sign stated on the wall.

He immediately delved into this grunt's aura. He was thunderstruck to find fear and discontent in this one… As he walked by Lucario's cage, he stopped dead and stared at him. "So it's true!" He wailed, covering his mouth. His blue hair seemed to spike in fear. "They finally caught one! Oh no, this is horrible…!"

"Mind I ask what is so horrible?" Lucario snarled in its head using aura. He was not about to be nice to anyone wearing a Team Galactic uniform. "Except the fact that you're one of those evil men that terrorize these Pokémon?"

His mouth opened in astonishment. "I promise you, if it—"

"—Weren't for your brother forcing you to work here you would be a wonderful trainer, pure, nice, and true. But your brother took you here when you were six, and bullied you into doing Team Galactic's dirty work. They've been looking for a Lucario for years, and haven't been able to catch any because they are so powerful," Riolu finished the statement for the grunt. "And this Lucario was only defeated because he let his mind race from him, and wasn't as keen in his battle as he should have been, distracted by his step-daughter."

Both Lucario and the grunt glared at him.

"I can talk, you know!" Lucario growled.

"Well, it's easier for me to just tell everyone at once than to have you two waste an hour on backstories," the Riolu shrugged.

The grunt nodded. "Anyway, yeah, what he said… And they told me to come in here and check you out. They said that a Lucario might be able to whip me into shape…"

"Oh, I'd whip you into shape, alright," he snapped. "By slitting your throat with my claws in the middle of the night!"

"Please… I don't wish any harm on you… see? Look! Go, Gyarados!" He opened up a Poke Ball and a Gyarados appeared, filling every inch of the free space in the hall. It affectionately rubbed the grunt on the shoulder, looking around in bewilderment at all the caged Pokémon.

Lucario gave a snort of amusement. "What are we supposed to conclude from that?"

"That he is very nice to his Pokémon, or else that Gyarados would have never evolved from a Magikarp, and never would have even listened to him. Gyarados, we are all very sorry you have to see this," Riolu nodded toward all the cages beside him. "Trust me, you have a good trainer, he won't do this to you." He gave a feeble smile, and the Gyarados nodded its head as best it could.

"Yes! I trained this Gyarados from a Magikarp, and you know how hard that is," the grunt said, winking. He called back his Gyarados. "See? I'm not evil!"

Lucario still glared at him cautiously. "Then take me back to my daughter!" He snarled suddenly, stamping the floor in rage.

The grunt suddenly looked terrified. "I can't do that! I'd be thrown out and probably killed because my brother would surely let everyone know I was part of Team Galactic!" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "But… I could take you and I could be your trainer."

"You will never be my trainer. Perhaps acquaintance, but I am no friend of any human that wears that uniform," Lucario growled darkly, pointing at the Team Galactic uniform the grunt wore. He nodded upward towards his Poke Ball. "That Ultra Ball is my Poke Ball. Take it."

"Right," the grunt nodded warily. "Come, Lucario!"

He opened up the ball, and Lucario was called into it. He immediately felt like he was sleeping on a cloud… Nothing could bother him… Except he was wrong.

"Papa?"

"Riolu?"

"Papa!"

He forced himself from the Poke Ball, now standing outside his cage next to the grunt. "Never put me back in that thing!" He shouted, kicking it out of the grunt's hand. He stared at it on the ground, and wondered whether he should stomp on it or not.

"What happened in it?" The grunt asked tentatively.

"None of your business!" He snapped.

"Right…" The grunt picked up the ball and set it on his belt. "Anyway, my name's Luke."

"I'm just Lucario, and it's staying that way," Lucario growled. He blinked hard. He wasn't going to show weakness to any of these Pokémon. For all he knew, one would simply want to attack him for being emotional.

The Wooper that had been in the cage next to him began talking faster than ever. "Get-out-of-here-one-of-them's-coming! You're-gonna-get-caught-being-nice-to-a-Pokémon-an d-you're-gonna-be-evicted!"

"Lucario, you _have_ to go into this Poke Ball!" Luke's voice suddenly became very arrogant and forceful. But his voice shook as he spoke next. "So… n-now, or I'll h-h-hurt you!" Luke sounded as though he was choking on an apple in the last few words.

The woman that came in next guffawed at him. "You're absolutely hopeless. You'll never convince a _Lucario_ into a Poke Ball like that. Are you trying to make him feel superior to you, or make him fear you?"

She pulled out her Poke Ball. "Houndoom, go!"

A black Pokémon with a brown underbelly, white rings around its paws, and what looked like three silver ribs coming down its back appeared. It had a silver collar that ended with a skull pendant in the middle, and a reddish-orange mouth. It gave a booming howl, and then glared at him with hateful eyes.

"Houndoom, Will-O-Wisp," she said confidently, swinging her violet-red hair and smiling.

The Houndoom opened its jaws and blue fireballs appeared, swirling around its mouth. They blazed in a peculiar way… Lucario had never seen it. He had no idea what it did. But he knew that he couldn't be hit with it.

"Lucario, do-" The woman cut Luke off with a deadly shout.

"I'm trying to help you get it into the Poke Ball, you knit-wit!" She turned back to the battle. Lucario stood rigid, and tried to dodge too late. He was struck with the blue flame. It singed his fur on his left leg, and he felt it convulse involuntarily.

He gave a howl of agony. He turned and looked at a pale-faced Luke hatefully. "Why do you let her do this to me?" He shouted at him.

He flinched and covered his ears, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry! She's a commander!" He said hopelessly.

"Luke, you're hopeless! If you can't force your Pokémon to obey you, you could at least not grovel at their feet!" She swung her hair again. "Return, Houndoom. And I think I'll be putting Houndoom back. Not really working for me. I much rather prefer Purugly. At least it matches my style. Houndoom is too... well, colorless."

Lucario would have much rather told her that a Purugly was white and purple and Houndoom was reddish-orange and black and silver, much more of an impressive Pokémon than a Purugly, he decided he'd keep the thought to himself rather than get another burn. He then felt disgusted with himself; that's exactly what she wanted!

"Who are you?" He decided to ask, a bold move he thought if he didn't want any further injury, but it would definitely ease his pride.

"Commander Mars," she responded wryly. "And you'd be wise to leave me alone. Luke, I suggest you shape up or I'll report you to Cyrus. Recall that Pokémon!" She ordered starkly.

Luke's face, if possible, went even whiter. "I'm so sorry!" He whispered at a nearly inaudible level. He held up the Ultra Ball with a shaking hand. "R-return L-L-Lucario," he muttered under his breath.

Lucario heaved a heavy sigh. He'd do it for Luke, and only while Mars was near. "Fine," he allowed the red beam to wash over him. It dissolved him and pulled him in, and he cringed at the thoughts that he knew would soon be fulfilling his head…

"Go, Lucario!" Luke called.

Lucario fell to the ground, and covered his ears. The upper half of his body hit the dirt. He pounded the earth with his fists, stabbing it with the claws on their upper halves. He wondered if he'd ever feel agony in his heart worse than this...

"I AM NEVER GOING BACK IN THERE!" He snarled. "Humans! Nothing good about them at all! I'm going home!" He ranted. His eyes were stinging like fury as he tried to hold back tears, and he felt stark mad. He didn't even hear Luke release another Pokémon.

He turned to march away, but found a pale, cream-colored creature in his way with flames going down its back, and flames blazing like a tail at its rear end. It gave a loud whinny and stomped its feet toward him. "Listen, pal, I don't care if your mom met the joker and he tossed her in the garbage can and the garbage truck came and crushed her on Evran Street, but you're not going to take it out on Luke," she spat at him.

He automatically reverted away from her, repulsed. "And what are you supposed to be? And what kind of threat is that?"

"I thought even Sinnoh trash such as yourself would recognize a Ponyta when you saw one," she stamped her feet down again. She ignored his second question. "And Luke would be my trainer."

"M-master," Luke mumbled half-heartedly, miserably stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The Ponyta looked up at him. "I don't give two cartons of Moomoo-Milk how they treat their Pokémon, but you'd think Mars and her goons could at least leave him alone and let him treat his like he wants," she muttered, twirling her fiery, blazing tail. He repressed the want to puke; this Pony-thing or whatever it was, was on fire, therefore, an enemy, and had already made it clear she despised him.

He turned around and marched stoically back toward Luke; he was not ready to admit he had been wrong to start rampaging to Luke. He sank to the earth next to him, sinking the claws on his feet into the earth. He pursed his lips and didn't say anything through aura.

"Lucario, really; I'm going to help you find your daughter," Luke said gently, trying to soothe him. "I promise, and I'm not like the others. I'll keep my promise."

An idea illuminated in Lucario's brain. "Alright then," he said. "Then we're following my orders, because I know where my home is."

The Ponyta stared at him with a suspicious glare. The message couldn't be clearer: "I know what you're up to!"

He glared defiantly back at her. "Let's see you come up with a smart remark to that, huh, you show pony!" He growled.

"Metalhead!"

"Flintbrain!"

"Mutt!"

"One-trick pony!"

She stomped away from him, intentionally brushing her emblazoned tail on the grass, igniting a certain portion of it. "Cross it, and I'll put you in a world of hurt so painful you'll wish you'd have never known the meaning of the word fire."

"I wish I'd never known the meaning of the word fire now," he muttered.

"Good," she smiled serenely, and traipsed happily towards Luke. He patted her slowly, before holding up a blue ball and saying "Return, Ponyta."

Luke turned back towards him. "Yeah, alright; we're right beside Eterna City."

Lucario drew a blank. "Eterna City?" He muttered to himself flatly in Pokémon language. _Great,_ he thought, _I have absolutely no idea where I'm at._


	4. The Link of a Bond

Riolu continually swiveled her ears around, carefully examining every sound as she drank water from the stream below her. Its icy touch chilled her to the bone, and she loved it. She was very overheated from her last training match with Lake. But Sparx, after his disastrous first battle with her, had sworn his 'vengeance' on her and he was more than likely hiding in the bushes, ready to strike.

It had been a month since she had met Sparx, Lake, and Lloya; Sparx, like her, had been training nonstop. He had grown incredibly, and wasn't the same as before. He had strange, gleaming, yellow-orange eyes now, a huge navy blue mane, a long, meandering tail that ended in a sparking star-shaped tuft, and had a much more serious aura about him. Lloya had said he was a Luxray, and Sparx had confirmed it.

She was right. Quick as a flash, she saw, in her mind's eye, using what little power of aura she had, him dash at her from behind a particularly wide oak tree. She jumped and latched her stubbly claws in its bark, using her powerful hind legs to leap into a branch high above.

Sparx was standing below the tree, looking utterly bewildered. "Where did you go?" He growled in an exasperated tone.

She said nothing, only glared at him critically from above. If she said anything, it would give away her position. I have to get stronger for Papa…

It had become an obsession, a must for her. She had to do it, and if she didn't, it would be like failing the only purpose of life. She leapt at him from up high in the tree, and gave a raucous screech of battle. Sparx covered his ears with his front paws in an attempt to make the Screech attack useless, but only managed to weaken himself.

_Perfect_, Riolu thought, her insides absolutely jumping with joy. She quickly ran away from him, before using Agility. She ran as fast as she could from side to side, getting faster with every time her paw touched the earth's surface. Once close enough to Sparx, she fastened her teeth as hard as she could into his left shoulder, ripping and tearing at it with her teeth.

Sparx gave a low moan as she dug harder with her teeth, her Crunch attack working its magic; he fell to the ground, limp. "I give up," he muttered mutinously. "I don't know how a Riolu gets this strong in a month, but you have."

She let him go, and then was paralyzed by a salty, tangy taste on her tongue. No, I didn't mean to really hurt him! She was horrified when she saw the red streaks on Sparx's shoulder. She had bitten far too hard; she had drawn blood!

Paralyzed by fear of her own attack, she simply gaped with an odd expression on her face. Sparx faced her, and then looked at his shoulder. He merely shrugged. "I've had worse." He got into the stream and dipped his shoulder beneath the surface, and red lines of water washed down the river. When he got back out, several Finneon and Remoraid jumped from the water, looking scandalized. They fell back in, before jumping out a few more times.

"I think you shocked them," Riolu laughed, watching the poor water Pokémon as they continued to hop down the stream.

"Heh, that or they're afraid of blood. Either way, come on, let's get back to Lake and Lloya before they have a heart attack," Sparx told her, swinging his elongated tail in a circular motion. "You know how Lloya's gotten."

"Yeah, he's gotten a lot like a stick in the mud," Riolu muttered under her breath. Lloya reminded her a bit of a Papa… but more forceful and blunt.

An obsessive need to continue training washed over her again. "Sorry, Sparx, I'll see you all later, I have to—"

"You're not going anywhere, not now, anyway!" She would have recognized that yell from anywhere. Lloya came charging down the hill, brushing past Sparx without even acknowledging he was there. "You haven't been at the camp site for days!" He shouted.

"So?" She challenged him openly, glaring hatefully at him. "You're not my father, nor will you ever be! So stop acting like it! My father's gone, and you're not going to replace him, nobody is!" She found herself shouting these words before she had finished thinking about it. Lloya gaped at her, rage distorting his face. He obviously thought something highly different.

"Well, you know what I think? I think your father was very irresponsible, leaving you fainted in two bushes without knowing what you were going to do for food, water, or shelter, not to mention, from what you told me happened in the battle, either that Arcanine was blabbing nonsense, or your father's got secrets to hide!" He snarled, curling his tail and uncurling it quickly.

That had crossed the line. Riolu gazed at him, making sure she made it felt as though she were trying to burn through his soul and leave ashes on the ground beneath him. "He had no choice! And that Arcanine was blabbing nonsense, my Papa would nev—"

"Papa, my Papa, my Papa would never—your Papa's a joke of a father, Riolu, and without him, you need someone to help raise you!" Lloya groaned exasperatedly. "Why can't you understand?"

"BECAUSE YOU THINK SHOUTING MAKES ME UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" Riolu screamed at him. She turned tail and latched back onto the tree, scaling its trunk again. She made sure she was invisible to anyone on the ground, but knew it was useless to Lloya; being a Lucario, he could easily track her using aura.

She wondered where her father was now… What he was doing… Did he still think about her…? Did he even wonder if she was still alive? Did he believe her dead? Or worse? Did he just not care anymore…?

She shook her head violently. _No! You know better than that, he'd rather lose his left arm!_ She stared out of the tree she was in, nearly chuckling at how much had changed in a month, in thirty days. She had gone from a careless, needy Riolu to a high-strung, defiant Riolu… It was almost comical.

But what wasn't comical was where her father was, or what he was being forced to endure. She began to shiver.

_But it's not cold…?_ That was true. Only a second ago, she had been steaming hot with fury; now, she was shivering with cold. This wasn't the first phenomenon that had happened to her during the last month...

Only a few days ago, she had felt as though she had had a shouting match with someone, even though she hadn't (as strange as it may be) had a row with Lloya that day… Her throat had felt raw and her chest oddly constricted. And the day after Lloya and the others had found her, she had felt a hot, burning sensation on her left leg….

She had no idea how to classify these odd occurrences; but they were mostly unpleasant. Now, she was absolutely freezing. She huddled against the tree's trunk, begging inwardly for its warmth. Her fur had spiked and was standing straight up…

_So this is what it feels like to be an ice-typed Pokémon_, she tried to joke with herself, but knew this was no laughing matter. Getting up to get out of the tree, she tripped and toppled out of the tree, slapping the ground hard. Numb with freezing cold, she didn't call out or make any sound except a subdued moan…

She blacked out.

_*******_

"Riolu?" A cracking voice was calling her name softly. "Riolu? I'm sorry I yelled at you… I'm so sorry, wake up…"

Riolu peered down and gasped, losing her breath. _I'm floating!_ She looked down; she was indeed floating. Her body was pale and see-through, and she was floating above Lloya, Lake, and Sparx.

Lloya was bent over something, and Lake and Sparx's faces were white and horrorstruck. Lloya continued on with his pleading, and Riolu rose farther and farther.

_What's going on?_ She was terrified now. She crooned her neck, and felt a rock drop to the bottom of her stomach. Lloya was stooped over a Riolu… and on the mouth of that Riolu, a red smear… _That's me! That's the blood from where I bit Sparx using Crunch earlier!_

"It is not your time."

Riolu whipped around, seeing another pale figure silhouetted against a darkening blue sky. "Who're you?" She asked.

"Nobody you need to know now," Riolu could see, just faintly, that it was a Lucario. She smiled. "Now, return to your grieving friends."

The female Lucario began pushing on her chest, and she was thrust hard back against the earth. Total blackness engulfed her vision. She then sat bolt upright, gasping for air and blinking feverishly. Lloya, Lake, and Sparx broke into raucous cheers. Lloya pulled her up against him and kissed her forehead.

"She's alive! She's-alive, she's-alive, she's-alive!" He was shouting it so fast it was hard to make out what he was saying.

"What…? Of course I'm alive, you—get off!" She pushed them away, staring at them as though each had sprouted three new heads. "What just happened?"

Lloya and Sparx had grown far too tearful to say much of anything.

"You—you—well, we were still sitting on the ground, and you fell out of the tree…" Lake began, he too looking ready to burst with tears, "you were stone-cold and wouldn't move or say anything… weren't breathing, nothing…"

He stopped short, staring at her with a new light. "You tell us what happened."

"I don't know!" She frustratedly shouted. "You tell me. I don't know what happened… It was…. Too strange…"

Lake nodded slowly. "Well, we drug you back here. Then after a few seconds you jumped up and here we are."

"Don't ever do that again," Lloya croaked. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He gulped between words, apparently trying to decide whether to be angry or grateful. She honestly hoped he'd choose grateful.

Sparx stared at her, his eyes gleaming even brighter than ever, mostly from tears that had not yet left his eyes. "I thought you were dead! Why were you so cold…? What could have done it…? I've never seen anything like it, only when Lloya tried to play a trick on me a long time ago… Hopped in some steaming hot water and then I felt as though I was one fire... If it wasn't for Lake, I'd have probably had a heat stroke..."

Then it hit her. All these strange phenomena, they were easily explained. "No… Papa…" Her father had been unintentionally sending her portions of what he was feeling. It was all that could make sense…

"Something's wrong with my father!" She tried to yell, but it came out as a faint, ghostly whisper. She was too horrified at what she had just realized to try again. She stood, staring at nothing in particular, but her eyes strangely transfixed…

"NO!" She finally bellowed. "No, no, no, no!"

"'No' what?" Lloya asked, a little apprehensively.

"My father's been sending me these sensations! When I felt like I was burning, when I felt like I was falling, all of them—him!" She wanted to yell her stupidity to the clouds above them. "Which means he's—"

"Either dead, or awfully close to it…?" Lloya suggested in what, to Riolu, sounded like a hopeful manner…

She rounded on him, teeth bared, eyes flashing madly, tail flicking. "How DARE you think about yourself in a time like this! Sinnoh is the coldest region there is, and that means he's got to be at—"

"Snowpoint City," Sparx concluded gravely.

Lloya, Lake, and Riolu stared at him. "What on Earth would he be doing there?! EVERY Pokémon knows that unless you're an Ice-Type, you'll freeze to death up there within hours!"

Sparx turned his narrow, flashy eyes on Lloya as he spoke those words. "I know. But maybe he's not there on his own accord. Don't forget, he was taken by Team Galactic; they don't care who they kill or who they hurt in their quest. They're probably after Uxie."

Riolu felt extremely panicky now. "Well, we can't just leave him there!"

"Riolu," it was Sparx who spoke yet again. "We can't go there. We'd freeze."

"Then…. Then… Then I'll go without you!" She defiantly stamped her feet and turned to walk away. Before she knew it, Lloya was blocking her path.

"No."

"Lloya, MOVE!" Riolu held up her two front paws, and, without warning, launched herself at Lloya. She began kicking, punching, and even biting him to try and get past. He fell to the ground, feeling a particularly harsh bruise she'd given him from a nicely-aimed kick on his right thigh.

She stalked past._ I have to get to Snowpoint City, I have to, I have to!_ She had to save her father, if he was still alive… That was what really chilled her to the bone… what if he wasn't even alive anymore…? Had the same female Lucario stopped him from leaving his world? Had it been his time, just not hers? Had he been the one who had been meant to feel the pain and agony of leaving behind everyone he loved, not her?

Her throat tightened and convulsed at these words. _No_, she told herself firmly. _No, he didn't!_

Just then, someone jumped on her from behind. It was Lloya. He pressed her to the ground and whispered into her ear. "Listen, I know a way we can get to Snowpoint, but you're going to have to stop acting like a hero and understand that you are only a Riolu. And Riolu is not-fully-evolved, and not as powerful as Lucario."

He let her up. She sat, hunched over, resting her eyes on him. She knew there was sense in his words, but she didn't want to hear it. "How?" She asked grudgingly.

"Clefairy," Lloya said simply.

"Clefairy? What the heck do Clefairy have to do with this, Lloya? I think he's losing it…" Lake muttered, walking up beside the Lucario. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No, you idiot, Clefairy aren't from this planet, they can make it so we won't freeze to death when we go to Snowpoint City!" Lloya exclaimed haughtily.

Riolu made sure she put as much loathing as possible into the expression on her face. Lake and Sparx exchanged looks of uncertainty, and then looked back at Lloya. "Are you sure this will work?"

Lloya laughed. "When are we ever sure or anything anymore?" She could tell he had stopped himself from adding something, from the way his mouth twitched. "But it's only an idea… We're going to have to go and find one, or at least a Cleffa. A Clefable would be even better, though…"

Riolu just stared at him. She knew he had sense in his plan, but some wild beast in her chest made her want to completely ignore anything he suggested, to openly hate him. But she also knew that was unfair. All the tension between her and Lloya was all because he was simply trying to help raise her into a nice Pokémon, while she couldn't get over the fact that her Papa was the one who was supposed to be doing that…

She sighed. "Right. Sounds like a plan."


	5. Galaxy-Wide Plans

"Lucario, I don't think—" Lucario gave a harsh growl to stop Luke's sentence. He was panicky enough as it was. It was beginning to get colder and colder, and traces of snow were on the ground. He had heard of a city in Sinnoh where snow falls all year 'round, but didn't remember the name… He hoped they were simply passing it, not going straight into it…

Luke trudged on next to him, looking very pale and apprehensive. "Lucario, I really don't think we're going the right way," he murmured. "We're heading towards Snowpoint City, if we don't turn now, or somewhere, we're going to fre—"

Lucario looked at him. "I… I know what I'm doing!" He bluffed harshly. He stomped onward, and before he knew it, he was standing ankle-deep in snow. Small, indecent flurries shone in the air.

_Great…_

"Lucario, we've got to turn back!" Luke called. He collapsed into the snow. "I haven't eaten in a while, and I don't think I can take this cold…" He sneezed at the end of his sentence. He hadn't eaten in a few days due to his fear of another person seeing his uniform and calling the police on him. They had been living like outlaws.

Lucario realized something was seriously wrong with Luke. He had been sick a lot lately... And his fear of walking around in public didn't help Lucario find him a hospital or even Pokémon Center easy at all.

"Luke, I'm going to dig us and ice cave further up ahead, come with me, you have to keep going," Lucario coaxed him hopefully. Luke struggled to his feet. "Take out that Ponyta or something," Lucario suggested.

"No, I d-don't want to make her f-freeze t-too…" Luke scanned Lucario's face. "After you do this ice cave thing, you're going back in that P-Poké Ball, you're not going to f-freeze…"

Luke sneezed again. Lucario grabbed his arm. "Whatever, but I'm making that cave, now!" Lucario turned and began pulling him. Luke struck out his feet, but still fell a few times. Finally, Lucario found an ideal spot; the snow here was deep, a lot deeper than what was around it, concluding his thoughts that there may be a hole beneath it.

Lucario began digging with his front paws. They numbed almost immediately, but he continued on anyway. The snow gave way and collapsed, revealing a small cavern beneath it. "Get in," Lucario said. "Stay warm. I'm going to go to a Pokémon Center; you need food, you need warmth, and we need a place to stay for a night or two."

Luke stared at him with wide eyes, fear emanating in waves of aura from him. "What? No, we c-can't!"

"Luke, you can be Galacta-phobic later, but now, you need help!" Lucario snapped at him. "You can tell them it's fake, that you're family friends with Cynthia or something."

"Cynthia?" Luke blinked and sneezed again, faint remembrance in his eyes. "Yeah, my d-dad does know Cynthia… or was it mom…? No, I think it was my brother, Ron…"

Lucario's fear had become very real now. If Luke couldn't even remember the name of his own brother, which was Ray, then something was definitely wrong with him. Lucario turned and went out of the cavern, leaving Luke inside, speaking to no-one but himself.

Lucario looked around. The light flurries had become a thunderous blizzard. He couldn't tell where he was supposed to be going. He felt as though he was in a complete white-out. He closed his eyes and breathed in gently, ignoring the cold that seeped through his fur down to his bones.

He decided to build a mental map of the area through his aura. _Smooth, but with many trees… There's a lake towards the northwestern area… And there's a Pokémon there… no, focus, Lucario, focus! To the east of the lake is a town… a small town… divided into five parts by trees… To the northwest is a Store, in the middle is the gym, and to the southeast is a Pokémon Center!_

Lucario opened his eyes and shook out his fur determinedly. He set off to the North. Going through the trees was likely to get him confused and lost; following a clear-cut route to the town seemed more of a viable idea.

But he soon had second thoughts about this. He felt ready to freeze into a Popsicle after a few measly minutes, and wondered how Ice-Types dealt with it. He trudged along, and suddenly, his feet sunk so deep into the snow, he was chest-deep in it!

He churned his legs and arms. It felt as though he was trying to swim through hard-packed ice. It was useless to try and fight against it, really. This part of the route was obviously never used exactly for this reason, but he hadn't known… he'd been too distracted…

He managed to push himself a few inches further, but the snow only got deeper, and he couldn't see a thing but snow and whiteness. He closed his eyes, and concentrated immensely on sending out a pulse of aura… He had to alert some Pokémon in the area, maybe a Sneasel or a Snover…

"Hey—Weavile, where are you going?" He heard a feminine voice shout through the air.

He picked up the aura of a low-temperature creature coming towards him… a Weavile. It stopped a few feet from where he stood; now neck-deep in the icy, hard-packed snow. "Help..." He grunted.

The Weavile nodded. "Ruby!" It called, turning away from him. A red-headed girl with blue clothes appeared next, and from what he could see, she had a turquoise, thick jacket on, along with what looked like a full, fluffed-out body suit.

"What is it, Weav—Weavile, look! There's a Lucario trapped in the snow!" The girl had only just noticed him. Annoyed by her slowness to realize he was there and contemptuous from the icy coldness that pricked every hair on his body, he gave a low growl.

The Weavile moved toward him carefully, but was called back by its panicky trainer. "Return, Weavile! Go, Staraptor!" A gray and silver Staraptor appeared, its wings folded tightly against its body, feathers ruffled grumpily.

"Staraptor, try to pull that Lucario out of there," Ruby ordered.

The Staraptor merely nodded. It swooped down toward him, latching its talons on his neck fur. It began tugging, and Lucario was only mildly aware of the lacerations the Staraptor's talons were leaving on his body as it tugged. It managed to drag him out, but then he only fell back in through snow that he hadn't yet managed to reach.

The Staraptor finally gave up, returning to Ruby, shaking its head, which could have meant 'it's no use' or could have been from how cold the Staraptor was by then.

Ruby bit her lip and looked at him, wrapping her navy blue scarf around herself a little tighter. "Return, Staraptor! Go, Gabite!"

Lucario stared at her hopelessly. "Oh, give it up. I've failed. I'm going to freeze and so is Luke…" He said to her through his aura.

"Who's Luke?" She asked, confusion clouding her gaze.

"Luke's my trainer. He's in an ice cavern a little farther back. He's really sick and I was going to the Pokémon Center to tell them."

Ruby went rigid. "There's a human out there?" She screeched. "Does he have a jacket or anything?"

Lucario went to speak, but found he couldn't. He simply shook his head, which seemed to sap the remaining energy from his exhausted body. He couldn't move anymore. Whether from cold or fatigue, it was impossible to tell. Ruby obviously had decided that Lucario wasn't worth caring about, at least, not as much as Luke; she turned around and bolted away.

He didn't care. He only gave a lonesome sigh. The cold had rendered his whole body numb. Gaze flickering between dark and light, he wondered if this would be his last memory… He would never, _ever_, see Riolu as a Lucario; never see her ever again, in fact… Never see Luke again. He had failed Luke in his only real time of need.

_I am a failure._ He began to shiver even harder, and then his mind went blank and his vision black.

"Are you sure? There's absolutely no way to save him? Come on, it's my fault, I let him drag us out here, it's my fault—I should be the one on that table, not him!" Luke was shouting at the Nurse Joy as she told him some news… What news, Lucario didn't know…

He was suspended high above them, and was terrified of as to why. With a jolt, he realized he was only rising higher!

He looked around wildly. He saw a few Pokémon on stretchers, all with weird, box-shaped machines tied to them. Lucario then, with a numbing coldness he thought, if possible, worse than the snow or ice, he saw a Lucario, with a dark, navy-blue mark on its left leg lying on one of the beds. On the screen on the machine that was tied to it, a white line went straight.

He didn't have to read aura to know that it was both him, and that it was dead.

"It is not your time yet."

A feminine voice that felt icily familiar spoke to him. He turned his head and his heart skipped a beat. "D-Delilah!" He stuttered automatically, and he stopped rising.

"Yes. You are not meant, not yet, to go anywhere. There is still a story of great magnitude that has yet to unfold between a certain Riolu, Lucario, Team Galactic Grunt, and the adventure that will decide the fate of us all," she pressed his chest, and he got the feeling of being shoved backwards hard.

His vision immediately went pitch black, and he felt as though he hadn't breathed for a year. He gulped down air and went to sit up, only to be pressed back down against the stretcher by a Chansey.

"No, no, no, you're not going anywhere yet, you're in the intensive care!" She exclaimed scathingly. "I promise you; you'll be admitted soon enough, having jumped up like that…"

"Lucario?" Luke pushed the Nurse Joy aside. "Lucario! You're okay! B-b-but… how?" He stuttered.

The Nurse Joy looked as though she'd been shoved on the ground and was being kicked and attacked. "No… it was dead when it was brought here, this is impossible!" She turned and marched away, a frightened aura left in her wake.

Lucario looked at Luke. "Who found you?"

"Ruby."

"You mean the same redhead who turned tail and left me in the snow to die?" He growled darkly. "She has a Weavile and Staraptor from what I know."

"Then I guess so… Wait, she just left you there?" Luke looked thunderstruck at the news. "Why I ought to—!"

Ruby then walked into the room, holding a small, yellow Pokémon with pink cheeks. Its ear-tips were black, and it had two brown stripes on its back. Its tail was in a lightning-bolt shape. "Is he okay, Luke?" Ruby asked, sparks flying from the weird yellow Pokémon's cheeks.

"He's fine, but you'll be lucky if you ever see daylight again!" Luke stormed over to her. "According to him, as soon as you told him I was out there you left him in the snow for dead!"

"I did not!" Ruby defended herself hotly. "I let out my Weavile and told it to go to the Pokémon Center and alert them!"

Lucario's face flushed red. He must have been too numb and cold and distracted to notice the red beam of light as Ruby released her Weavile. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath, even though he knew they wouldn't understand him.

Luke eyed her critically for a moment or two, and must have decided she was telling the truth, because he turned around and walked over to Lucario. "Why are you making stuff up?" He snapped, and Lucario noticed his cheeks had flushed an even darker red than Lucario's had.

"I guess I was too messed up to see the light as she released the Weavile, I mean, you saw that snow, it was a blizzard out there!" Lucario exclaimed. Luke didn't look any less forgiving.

"Don't make any more stuff up about Ruby!" He snapped, stalking away from him back over to Ruby. Dumbfounded, Lucario simply crossed his arms. _The sooner we get out of here and get moving, the better!_

He let his mind's eye travel. Using aura, he scoped out the area. To the east of Snowpoint, was the ocean… but to the southeast, was a long strip of forest. He inspected it, feeling out every clearing… He needed a sign, he needed a sign…

Then he found it. The dip in the earth, the mound of singed branches and twigs, the sandy training area, the grassy field… And the picture Riolu had drawn the night before he was taken, albeit faded and worn… It was his and Riolu's old home!

He nearly tried to bounce off his bed again, but now a Blissey was patrolling the beds, and it looked stern. He should have done that sooner! Just studying the land using his aura… he could have been home in no time!

Ruby and Luke had their heads close together in conversation. Still contemptuous from being snapped at by Luke, Lucario completely ignored their words. Although Luke's eyes went as big as saucers and he made a jerky movement of the hands, Lucario still refused to listen. _He won't listen to me, I won't listen to him!_

But he couldn't shake a feeling of dread from his pelt. Suddenly, the Nurse Joy returned, looking very pale and frightened. "Luke, you and Lucario are dismissed," she said in a constricted tone.

Luke looked a little confused for a second, as if he didn't understand what was being said to him. But when Ruby got up and thanked her, he jumped into action. "Oh, right. Well, come on, Lucario."

The Blissey that had been patrolling up and down the beds came to his and unhooked the machine from his arm. Lucario jumped off the bed. "Luke, I need to talk to you as soon as we get outside!" Lucario exclaimed into his head using aura.

Luke merely nodded, holding hands with Ruby and simply flicking his hand to tell Lucario to follow. Lucario fumed silently on their way out. Once outside, Luke lazily put Lucario's Ultra Ball up to his face and said "Return."

Lucario dodged the beam and snarled at him. "Put me in that ball and you'll regret it! You haven't listened to a word I've said since I nearly DIED and now all you want to do is talk to that stupid Ruby girl! Fine, go ahead; I'm going home, since I know exactly how to get to it from here!" He shouted. He turned and stomped away, not caring about the mediocre amount of snow that touched the underside of his feet.

_I should have known better! He's a Team Galactic Grunt, through and through!_

"Lucario!" Luke was calling to him. "Okay, okay—I'm sorry!" Luke stopped dead next to him, panting, and his hot breath billowing in the cold air. "But you don't understand, Ruby's an ex-Team Galactic grunt, and she was telling me about Team Galactic's plans to use Palkia, Dialga, Giritina, and Darkrai!"

Lucario stared at him, gaping. "They're _what?_"

* * *

**So, what do you guys think so far? How do you like Lucario and Riolu, or Lloya? Personally, Lloya and Lucario are my favorite to write as. ^_^**

**Be sure to review! Even if you're a guest! If you have an account, it'd be nice if you reviewed while logged in, though.**


	6. The Ugly Truth

"What are you, a Bonsly? Get in there, with your Fake Tears!" Lake grumbled, shoving Lloya into the gaping hole that marked the opening of Mt. Coronet.

"Hey, watch it!" Lloya exclaimed, wide-eyed in terror. "It's dark in there, and Clefairy didn't—"

"Yeah, yeah, Clefairy didn't come from this world, we _know_, Lloya," Riolu laughed at him. "Just go in!"

"Follow me, then," Lloya murmured, pouting. Lake, Sparx, and Riolu followed him obediently, and as soon as they entered, the place seemed to illuminate like stars on a dark December night. Water droplets sparkled and dripped from the ceiling, and Zubat flitted around the cones that stooped from the roof of the cavern.

"Who are they?"

"I don't know, you take a look!"

"Hey—!"

The voices sounded like they should come from tiny forest fairies, but instead, a small, star-shaped, pink creature was shoved out from behind a boulder by a tiny pink arm. It stared at them with wide, horrified eyes.

"Wh-who are you?" It then demanded, stuttering.

"Lloya."

"Sparx."

"Lake."

"Riolu."

"And you are?" Lloya asked it, scanning it up and down. Riolu already knew it was a Cleffa, but didn't want to scare the Cleffa even worse with that information. Instead, she stayed quiet and sat down behind Lloya. The cave floor was a bit damp, and it was kind of dingy…

"Astara…" It murmured. "I'm a C-Cleffa. Sterling, Tokashi, get out here!" He yelled at the place he had been shoved from. Two more Cleffa wandered out, looking just as timid. One had green tips on its ears instead of black.

"I'm Sterling," the one with the green ear-tips said. "She's Tokashi."

The other Cleffa, who looked almost exactly the same as Astara, nodded. "What do you want with Mt. Coronet? You're not with those G freaks, are you?"

"What?" Riolu couldn't stop herself this time. "G freaks? What do you mean?"

"Well, people keep coming in here with blue hair and G's on their shirts. You're not with them… are you?" Sterling eyed them suspiciously. Astara and Tokashi huddled against him.

"No, we're not," Sparx spoke next. He extended his tail and bowed a pleasant gesture to the Cleffa. "No, we just need help. We need to get to Snowpoint City without freezing to death… we need to see the lead Clefairy or Clefable in your group."

Sterling looked as though he'd been smacked in the face. "We don't live to serve others!" He exclaimed heatedly. He and the others looked utterly double-crossed. "How dare you use us as though we're your toys!"

"You're small enough," Lake muttered under his breath. Riolu shot him an accusing look and he merely shrugged.

"Well, it's true," he muttered again.

She shook her head exasperatedly and then turned back to Lloya and the Cleffa.

Lloya was now the one stammering. "Well, we—look; this Riolu needs to find her father because we think he might be dead!" He finally shouted, sounding thoroughly agitated. "We just need to see your lead Clefairy and/or Clefable!"

Sterling glared at him hatefully. "No. Pokémon like you use us for your own misdeeds, then leave us without so much as a 'thank-you.' My mom's told me all about you guys; Team Galactic Pokémon, indeed!" He yelled. "Osala! Codex!"

"Yes?"

A blinding light flashed, and then a Clefairy and Clefable stood in front of the three Cleffa. Both also had green ear-tips.

The Clefable turned to Lloya, sternly glaring at him. "Why are you badgering our young?" She spat venomously.

"Likely to be the work of a Team Galactic Pokémon, no doubt!" The Clefairy shouted, making water droplets slap into puddles on the floor.

Riolu soon realized that more Clefairy and Clefable were appearing with grand flourishes of light… and they didn't look happy.

Riolu backed up against Lloya. "Lloya, I think it's time we left," she whispered to him.

Lloya flicked his tail frustratedly and nodded. "Alright, let's go."

"No, you have disrupted us and, being Team Galactic Pokémon, we cannot let you disrupt any other poor creature's life!" The lead Clefable shrieked. Riolu stared at it.

"Then what will you do with us?" She asked nervously.

"And we're not part of Team Galactic!" Lake exclaimed vehemently.

That must have only convinced them more, because the lead Clefable began to move its hand back and forth in a strange way. Eventually, it stopped, and two pincer-like things appeared from nowhere. The Clefable leapt at Riolu… The pincers secured around her throat, and she struggled madly against it.

"What move is this?" She managed to gasp.

"Save your breath! It was Metronome, but this is Guillotine!" It cackled madly. "And now…"

The pincers began to tighten. Horrified and scared, she began kicking and shouting.

Lloya made an attempt to attack the Clefable, but was attacked by several Clefairy himself. Then a familiar voice sounded…

"GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"

A huge, round, blue ball of light flashed out of nowhere, striking the Clefable, and knocking it to the ground. It didn't move again. Clefairy and Cleffa jumped out of the path of a man and a Lucario's path, the Lucario shooting Aura Spheres everywhere.

Riolu was just thankful those pincers were away from her throat. She rubbed it sensuously, grateful for the air that filled her lungs. Lake, Lloya, and Sparx faced the man and Lucario with hostile eyes. The Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable backed away from them, but were also glaring at them with narrow eyes.

The man had blue hair, and a faded white and gray-black shirt… Her heart stopped when she saw the G on the front of it. "Who are you? Team Galactic trash!" She yelled at once, stomping up to the man and kicking his feet out from under him.

He looked at her with terrified eyes. "I-I—Lucario, talk to her!"

The Lucario turned to her. "Riolu?" He said dreamily. "Is it really you?"

"Who are you supposed to be?" She spat icily, glaring at him.

He flinched at her words harshly. "It's me… you're Papa… see?" He held up his left arm. What looked like an old burn was there, the way his fur was slightly darker and coarser than the rest of his fur…

"Papa…?" She looked at him with glittering eyes. "But… But I thought… I thought you had died!" She sobbed at last.

The Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable around them gave loud, raucous, hateful shouts.

"We're going," the man said shortly, getting up off the ground and timidly looking around. Riolu didn't move. She simply stared at her Papa.

At last. She was back with him… she was back with him! He had found her! And he wasn't dead! Excitement trailed through her, leaving what felt like a lively blaze in her stomach. She tackled her father, hugging him in an almost crushing manner.

Papa picked her up and set her on his shoulder. "Nice to see you don't want to kill me anymore," he said jokingly, even though she could see the tears shining in his scarlet eyes.

She laughed. He laughed too and they walked out of the cave into the twilit sky.

"And stay out!" One Clefairy shouted at them haughtily before turning around and stalking back into the cave.

Lloya marched up to Papa and glared at him with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Papa gave an odd jerking motion. "Stop that!" He finally snarled at Lloya.

"Oh, what, don't like me finding out all of your dirty little secrets you haven't told your oh-so-precious _daughter_?" Lloya put a sneering emphasis on 'daughter,' and Papa stared back at him, looking terrified.

"Don't…" he moaned slightly just as Lloya began talking.

"Let's see… had no family… Raised yourself alongside a female Riolu that had been released into the wild at level one with the name of 'Delilah'… You guys raised each other, and then Delilah met an Arcanine… You were jealous and you started to move your separate ways… one night, it was raining and you ran to find shelter, and—"

"STOP IT!" Papa reared back his right arm, and then swung it fast and hard at Lloya. The punch went skywards, but not before nastily nailing Lloya's lower jaw.

Lloya grabbed Papa's arm, and yanked him backwards, slamming him against the earth. "Don't you ever do that again, gramps!" He growled.

Riolu had already been flung off her father and had slammed headfirst into a tree. She got up and glared at Lloya. "What's your problem, you bonehead?"

"My problem? Why does your father lie to you, is all I want to know!" Lloya snarled. He watched as Papa struggled to get off the ground. "And you ran to find shelter and tripped over Delilah's body. Turns out the Arcanine was working for Team Galactic, and he'd killed her, but not before she had her Egg, which, as we all know, contained Riolu here. But Riolu, he's not your father; the Arcanine is."

Riolu stared at him, wishing him nothing but painful death. "No, he's not! You're just like that stupid Arcanine Papa was fighting, you're only trying to mess us up!"

"No, I'm telling you the truth!" Lloya had hurt shining in his eyes, but was speaking in a malicious tone. "I helped raise you, at least… I want you to know the truth of your past… You don't deserve to be lied to, Riolu… you deserve far better than that…"

"She's perfectly… perfectly happy now and… and nobody needs you messing that up!" Papa panted, baring his teeth.

The man was huddling between a huge boulder and a tree. "I do not exist, I do not exist, I do not exist…" He murmured to himself continuously, as though he wanted to evaporate into thin air.

Riolu looked from Papa, to Lloya, and then back… was he really her Papa?

"Papa…? Tell me the truth…" she began slowly. "Who is my father, and who was my mother?"

His face was ghostly pale now. He looked as though he'd just been in a fight with a real vampire. He blinked hard and then nodded. "Fine. I'll tell you the truth. All of it. I had planned to, but I can't say that I ever thought it'd be easy."

"And I'll know if you aren't!" Lloya shouted after them.

Papa picked her up and set her down on a flat, smooth rock. He sat across from her on another boulder, just it was rougher. "Firstly, your mother was Delilah. Delilah was a Lucario that was released, as that Lucario said, at level one into the forest by her trainer with the name Delilah. She and I were… were best friends…" His voice became oddly choked and constricted.

"Then, one day, that Arcanine showed up. He said his trainer had abandoned him, and that he wanted to be called Arcanine. I didn't like him, I couldn't read memories with aura, and I didn't know anything about him, but I got a bad feeling from him. Delilah fell in love with him right away. A few months later, Delilah told me she was pregnant from him.

"I hated her for it, but I soon realized that he was a cheat and a liar. Like that Lucario said, it was pouring that night, and I was running back home, when I tripped over Delilah's dead body. Arcanine, and his two trainers, two Team Galactic members, had killed her as soon as she had her egg. That egg was you.

"Naturally, I got mad and fought off Arcanine and the two men, and took the egg. And since you hatched, I've tried to raise you. But as you can see, I've done a pretty lousy job and in all honesty, I think the Arcanine would have done better…" His face miserably fell.

Riolu stared at him. "So you did lie. You lied. Why?"

"Because if I didn't, how was I going to explain to you a murderous Arcanine was your father and that he'd killed your mother?"

"It doesn't matter, you still lied!" She spat. "All this time, I've been doing nothing but training and training and training, I was obsessed with it, just so I could rescue you if I needed to! But now, I see how stupid I was! Just as stupid as I was to believe all the lies you fed me! Anything else I should know about?" She ranted on and on.

This was base betrayal to her. He had acted like her father! But he wasn't, and he never would be… He was a liar! Nothing but a liar! She glared at him hatefully. "You can leave. I don't need you anymore."

Her heart felt as though it was being torn in two when he cringed and then stared at her after she said that. But she didn't dare show it. He had lied to her; he deserved it!

She turned to leave him, anger swelling in her chest. _With all these lies and miserable excuses for friends and fathers, I'll never evolve! _

"Alright, be mad at me all you want, but don't let the whole region of Sinnoh take the wrath!" Papa—_no, Lucario_, she told herself firmly—called to her desperately. "Team Galactic's going to use Giritina, Palkia, Dialga, and Darkrai to demolish Sinnoh and then start it over again!"

"So?" She snarled. "Why don't you and your blue-haired friend here go fix it?"

"Because we can't, at least, not alone! There are more than four hundred Pokemon to be released from their base on the day the plan is executed, and if we don't have help, we're not going to be able to do it fast enough!" Lucario pleaded with her. "Please… You can hate me for the rest of your life if you do that. You can sit around and loathe me forever. Have fantasies about Carvanha and Sharpedo tearing me apart…" He gave an odd, half-snort, half-coughing sound" —but for now, Sinnoh needs our help!"

She turned and looked him in the eye. She thought about it. _If Sinnoh's destroyed, I'll never evolve, and then Sparx, Lake, and Lloya would all face death… I can't let that happen! And, even if he is a filthy liar, no need to have Lucario killed…_ She nodded slowly. "Fine. But I'm doing it for Sinnoh. Not for your lying tail."

She turned her back on him as coldly as she could, and stalked away. Lloya met her on her way back to the main group. "Riolu? I need to talk to you..."

"There's no need, Lloya; he just told me everything. Everything his lying tail could tell me!" She exclaimed in a hurt tone. "I don't understand… why would he lie like that?"

"Come here," Lloya gestured for her to sit next to him.

"Yes?" She mumbled.

"Don't think too badly of Lucario. It was brave enough of him to even take you in. I would've been too scared to, let alone raise you without hinting at all about where you came from."

She gaped at him. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Ha-ha, very funny. No, I'm serious. I wish my step-dad would have done something like that…" His eyes watered. "He told me right from the get-go that my father and mother were dead, and were never coming back, and that I had better get used to life as it was: kill or be killed."

"He… he what?" Thunderstruck, she simply stared at him. She sure had never thought Lloya had a past like that… From the day she'd met him, he'd never acted in a way that suggested that type of past… "But you're the one who forced him into telling me that! Didn't you know I would take it that way?"

He had no answer. He only let a few teardrops drip into the peaty earth beneath them.


End file.
